Head to head · Boys' names
Hendrix vs Joaquin
#354 vs #355 in 2025 · both stepping back from its peak
Hendrix is a whisker ahead (#354 vs #355 in 2025) and both are stepping back from its peak. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Hendrix leads 4 measures of 6; Joaquin leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Hendrix #936, Joaquin #845 — Joaquin higher
- 1890s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #1057 — Joaquin higher
- 1900s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #1162 — Joaquin higher
- 1910s: Hendrix #2926, Joaquin #1123 — Joaquin higher
- 1920s: Hendrix #4089, Joaquin #887 — Joaquin higher
- 1930s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #913 — Joaquin higher
- 1940s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #930 — Joaquin higher
- 1950s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #835 — Joaquin higher
- 1960s: Hendrix —, Joaquin #733 — Joaquin higher
- 1970s: Hendrix #4851, Joaquin #563 — Joaquin higher
- 1980s: Hendrix #5955, Joaquin #571 — Joaquin higher
- 1990s: Hendrix #6766, Joaquin #591 — Joaquin higher
- 2000s: Hendrix #3570, Joaquin #389 — Joaquin higher
- 2010s: Hendrix #596, Joaquin #334 — Joaquin higher
- 2020s: Hendrix #298, Joaquin #329 — Hendrix higher
Joaquin stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Hendrix took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Hendrix | Joaquin |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #936 | #845 |
| 1890s | — | #1057 |
| 1900s | — | #1162 |
| 1910s | #2926 | #1123 |
| 1920s | #4089 | #887 |
| 1930s | — | #913 |
| 1940s | — | #930 |
| 1950s | — | #835 |
| 1960s | — | #733 |
| 1970s | #4851 | #563 |
| 1980s | #5955 | #571 |
| 1990s | #6766 | #591 |
| 2000s | #3570 | #389 |
| 2010s | #596 | #334 |
| 2020s | #298 | #329 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Hendrix
son of Hendrik — from Germanic "home" plus "ruler"
Hendrik is the Dutch form of Germanic Heimirich, built from heim "home" and ric "ruler, power". The -x ending is a Dutch and Flemish way of writing the patronymic -ks, so Hendrix is literally "Hendrik's son".
Heimirich → Heinrich → Hendrik → Hendriks → Hendrix
How it traveled
The Germanic name Heimirich — "home ruler" — spread through medieval Europe as Heinrich in German lands and Hendrik in the Low Countries, and became Henry in English. Dutch and Flemish families then formed surnames from it, writing the patronymic -ks as -x, which gives Hendriks and Hendrix.
Joaquin
Yahweh raises up, or Yahweh establishes
From the Hebrew name Yehoyaqim, borne in the Hebrew Bible by a king of Judah, rendered Jehoiakim in English translations.
Yehoyaqim → Ioakeim → Joachim → Joaquín → Joaquin
How it traveled
The name begins in Hebrew as Yehoyaqim, passes into Greek as Ioakeim, and into Latin as Joachim. The second-century text known as the Gospel of James — outside the biblical canon — gives Joachim as the name of Mary's father, and that tradition carried the name across medieval Christian Europe, where it settled differently in each language: Joaquim in Portuguese and Catalan, Gioacchino in Italian, Joachim in French and German, Joaquín in Spanish.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Hendrix
HEN-driks
Stress on the first syllable. English speakers read it correctly on sight, and the x is pronounced exactly as it looks.
- Hen — The most natural clipping in English speech; informal, family use.
- Rix — Takes the tail rather than the head; informal, and rare enough that it usually needs introducing.
- Hendy — Surname-style, the way sports teams shorten last names; used among friends more than at home.
Joaquin
wah-KEEN
The J is the Spanish jota, a breath at the back of the throat, so the start comes closer to a soft H than an English J: hwah-KEEN. Many American speakers simply say wah-KEEN. In Spanish the name is written with an accent, Joaquín, marking that second-syllable stress; US paperwork usually drops it.
- Quino — A long-standing informal short form in Spanish-speaking families; also used on its own.
- Joaco — Informal, common in Latin America, particularly among younger speakers.
- Quim — The Catalan and Portuguese short form; stands alone as a given name there.
- Juaco — Informal Spanish diminutive, family-level rather than public.
- Also Ximo, Wak.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Hendrix if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsHendrix is stepping back from its peak
Choose Joaquin if you want…
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Quino, Joaco and Quim
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Hendrix
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds for English speakers, with no realistic pronunciation dispute.
- The -x spelling is already widely recognized, so it rarely needs to be defended as an invented form.
- Belongs to the Henry family, one of the longest continuously used name lines in Europe.
To consider
- The link to Jimi Hendrix is direct and permanent. Many people will hear it as a tribute and say so, which is charming to some families and tiresome to others.
- Hendricks is a common surname spelling, so expect the -cks version to be written by mistake fairly often.
- Short forms are thin on the ground — none of them is standard, so the full name is likely to be what he is called day to day.
Joaquin
Strengths
- A single settled meaning, traceable in an unbroken line from Hebrew through Greek and Latin — no guesswork required when someone asks.
- Recognized on sight across Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Italian, French and German, each with its own established form.
- Several genuine short forms already in use — Quino, Joaco, Quim — rather than ones you would have to invent.
To consider
- The pronunciation is not obvious to English speakers who have not met it. Expect a lifetime of gentle correction — joe-a-KWIN and JWAH-kin are the usual misfires.
- The Spanish spelling takes an accent on the í, and US forms, schools and databases will mostly strip it. Decide early which version you consider the real one.
- The initial J invites people to reach for an English J sound. Some Joaquins let it happen; others correct it every time. Either is workable, but it is a choice that keeps recurring.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Hendrix and Joaquin in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Hendrix and Joaquin?
Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names with an X in them
- Musical names, from Aria to Lennon
- Rock and roll names
- Names with an edge
- all guides
Where Hendrix and Joaquin each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Hendrix or Joaquin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Hendrix or Joaquin?
- Hendrix, in 2025: Hendrix ranked #354 with 933 babies; Joaquin ranked #355 with 925 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Hendrix or Joaquin?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Hendrix moved down 71 places; Joaquin moved down 49 places.
- Which is the older name, Hendrix or Joaquin?
- Hendrix entered the US charts in 1885; Joaquin entered the US charts in 1886. On the American record, Hendrix is the older name.
- How many people are named Hendrix and Joaquin?
- About 13,500 people named Hendrix are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 33,000 people named Joaquin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Hendrixs or Joaquins in the classroom?
- Hendrix will almost certainly be the only one in school. Joaquin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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